On July 2, we celebrated the robe of the Theotokos; today we celebrate the placing of her belt. These feasts are not merely connected with ancient relics as a source of pious power. As the hymns of the feast make clear, today is a celebration of the Incarnation in all its glorious reality and specificity: God was born of a real woman of flesh and blood, who wore real clothing upon her most pure body. Celebrating the cincture of the Theotokos on the last day of the ecclesiastical year, we are reminded that each year is a year of the Incarnation of our Lord; he has united himself to his creation, filling all time with meaning. The girdle ties the clothing together; it is a something final, a closing. Thus, as we close this year with the celebration of the sash of our most pure Lady, let us pray to her that she seal all the years and days of our life with her prayers, so that this day and every day may be an opportunity for us to draw closer to the Lord who took on our very nature in order to save us and restore us.
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